Amajita March On, Angola Beaten as Semi-Final Door Opens

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s national under-20 side, Amajita, moved to within a point of securing a place in the semi-finals of the CAF U20 Men’s Africa Cup of Nations COSAFA Qualifiers after beating Angola 2-0 at the ABB Stadium in Matola, Mozambique, on Monday.

Coach Raymond Mdaka made two changes to the team that started the tournament, bringing in Emile Witbooi and Cayden Fortune for Milimo Nalumango and Kamohelo Mareletse.

Witbooi and Fortune had missed the opening match after their club, Cape Town City, delayed their release for national duty. They joined the squad after the tournament had already begun.

Angola entered the match with confidence after opening their campaign with a 4-0 win over Eswatini. Domingos Muxito, António Kulica, Jairo Muanha and Luís Panda were on target in that victory, which put Angola at the top of Group B on goal difference before Monday’s match.

Amajita, however, quickly took control.

Captain Lazola Maku broke the deadlock in the 14th minute with a long-range effort that gave South Africa the lead. Maku is currently without a club after not renewing his contract with Siwelele FC at the end of the 2025-26 season.

South Africa doubled their advantage four minutes before half-time when Steven Mendes headed home from a Witbooi free kick.

The goal was Mendes’ third of the tournament in two matches after he scored twice against Lesotho in the opening fixture. He is now level with Seychelles’ Lorenzo Hoareau at the top of the tournament’s scoring charts.

Angola pushed for a way back into the match after the break, forcing Mdaka to make a series of changes.

Sanele Simelane and Lakham Gqongo replaced Oarabile Booysen and Teboho Mlangeni shortly after half-time. Gqongo, however, was forced off minutes later after suffering a facial injury and was replaced by Zazi Qotoyi.

The defender was taken to hospital, where he received stitches, before being discharged. He is expected to miss Wednesday’s final group match against Eswatini.

Mareletse was also introduced for Matthew Palmer as Angola increased the pressure, but South Africa defended their advantage to secure a second consecutive victory without conceding.

Mdaka praised his players for combining tactical discipline with the character required to see out a difficult match.

“As much as we respect all the teams in the group, we felt that Angola was one of the strong teams but credit to the boys, they did very well, tactically so and also in terms of character,” said Mdaka.

“In football sometimes you don’t only need a plan, but you need character and the spirit to fight in the field of play, so we really appreciate what the boys did.”

Mdaka said the technical team had also identified Angola’s strengths and worked to limit them without sacrificing South Africa’s attacking threat.

“We knew where their strong points were and we were able to make sure that defensively we closed those strong areas but at the same time not compromising our attack.”

Maku was named Player of the Match, becoming the second Amajita player to receive the award after Mendes was recognised following the opening fixture.

A draw could be enough

Amajita now top Group B with six points from two matches, having scored five goals and conceded none.

A draw against Eswatini on Wednesday will be enough to guarantee South Africa’s place in the semi-finals.

Angola remain second on three points and will face Lesotho in their final group match. They need a victory and favourable results elsewhere to keep their qualification hopes alive.

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Eswatini, who beat Lesotho 3-2 in Monday’s other Group B match, also remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage.

The Mozambique qualifier features 12 teams divided into three groups. The three group winners and the best-performing runner-up will advance to the semi-finals on 25 September.

The two finalists will qualify for the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.

Amajita chasing more silverware

The victory also keeps Amajita’s bid to retain their regional title on track.

South Africa are the reigning continental champions after beating Morocco in the final of the 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt to claim their first title at the tournament.

The triumph ended a long wait for Amajita, who had previously reached four continental finals dating back to 1997. They also finished fourth in 2009 and 2017 and won bronze in 2019 after beating Nigeria on penalties.

At regional level, South Africa have established themselves among the most successful teams in the COSAFA Under-20 Championship.

Their titles in 2024 and 2025 took their tally to 10 regional crowns, placing them second behind Zambia, who have won the competition 12 times.

South Africa’s first COSAFA Under-20 title came in 2000, when they became the first team other than Zambia or Zimbabwe to win the competition.

The regional tournament has produced only five different champions across its 30 editions, highlighting the consistency required to remain among the leading teams.

Amajita have so far gone unbeaten in this year’s competition and have yet to concede a goal.

Angola, meanwhile, remain one of the sides South Africa have had to contend with at regional level. They reached the semi-finals in 2019 and finished third after scoring 18 goals in five matches.

Their defeat to South Africa was their first setback of this year’s tournament following their emphatic opening win over Eswatini.

Amajita will meet Eswatini in Matola on Wednesday knowing that qualification is within reach. With two wins, five goals scored and no goals conceded, South Africa have put themselves in a strong position heading into the final round of Group B.